Longwood broke a 1-1 tie with a solo home run in the fifth inning by Emily Murphy to take the 2-1 win over the Presbyterian College softball team in the first game of a Big South doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the PC Softball Complex in Clinton, S.C. Longwood took game two, 7-0, off an 11-hit effort, including a two-run home run from Glenn Walters. Hope Rogers led PC with three hits and a RBI.
PC drops to 22-24 overall and 8-12 in the Big South, while Longwood improves to 28-15, 14-3. The two teams face each other Sunday in the third and final game of the series at 1 p.m.
Game One: LON 2, PC 1
Erin Ruff led off a scoreless game in the third with double to right. Two batters later she put the home team up a run, scoring off a Rogers double. Longwood responded in the bottom of the inning with RBI double from Kaylynn Batten to plate Murphy, who had reached on a single, her second of three hits in the game.
Murphy provided heroics for Longwood, using a solo home run in the fifth for the winning run.
PC recorded three hits in the contest, with Ruff posting two of them. Longwood came away with seven and were led by Murphy's three.
Elizabeth McCarthy took the win for Longwood (15-8), going 7.0 innings and surrendering just one run and three hits, with nine strikeouts. Katie Brown (10-11) threw a complete game, giving up two runs and seven hits with three Ks. Each team had one error apiece.
Game Two: LON 7, PC 0
Longwood opened game two with two runs, adding three in the fifth and one in the sixth and seventh innings, to take the 7-0 win.
A two-RBI single from Mariah Ellis gave the Lancers the early 2-0 lead, with the score remaining unchanged for either team until the fifth. Longwood led off the bottom of the fifth singles in the first two of three at-bats, the later a RBI hit from Murphy to make it 3-0. Walters cleared the bases with a two-run home run to give the Lancers the 5-0 lead.
A RBI single from Kelsey Sweeney in the sixth and a RBI double from Ellis in the seventh game PC the final two runs for the 7-0 win.
PC led off the seventh with back to back singles from Rogers and Megan Anderson, and a base hit by Miller with two outs loaded the bases. The potential rally was short-lived as the last at-bat struck out to end the game.
Longwood collected 11 hits, with Jamie Barbour, Murphy, Ellis, and Krista Kelly each recording two each. PC was led by Rogers and her two hits, as the Blue Hose finished with four.
Sydney Gay (12-5) started for Longwood, pitching 6.0 innings and surrendering no runs off one hit with nine strikeouts. Sydney Seigler (10-12) went 7.0 innings for PC, giving up five earned runs and seven hits with two Ks.
